Tonight, the Centers for Disease Control has released a report of the latest measles outbreaks happening across the country. The most recent outbreak has been centered in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The report shows that the overall rate of people in Maryland being infected with measles is far below the national average, but Maryland has been hit with seven outbreaks in the past 10 months, including three in Maryland.
The measles outbreak continues to expand and the number of infected people in the US has tripled since the year 2000. The only state with more than 20 cases is California, with more than 100 cases. If measles is transmittable, where are all the local cases?
Here in Maryland, the outbreak started in a church where the disease picked up in the upper Midwest. The church serves as a meeting place for Christian musicians and is popular with young families. According to the new CDC report, as many as 160 children will be fully vaccinated because they were not vaccinated during the last school year. O’Toole has called for a measles vaccination moratorium.
We need our elected officials, especially our members of Congress, to be role models and put public health ahead of party affiliation. Our children need to be able to grow up in a safe, secure environment with immune systems that can protect them from disease.
There is no reason for there to be such an outbreak of measles in America today, unless elected officials like your member of Congress understand that this disease is a serious threat to children, teachers, and the families of these children.
Our children need to be able to grow up in a safe, secure environment with immune systems that can protect them from disease. Our actions today will impact their futures, so our kids need to know how to lead healthy lives.
According to the CDC, thousands of children were able to attend school this year, but many not fully vaccinated are now being exposed to the virus.
I don’t know any parents that are wanting to put their child at risk. The vaccine, which includes no additional cost to the family, is not the end of the world, but putting our community at risk of a disease we should have left behind with mass inoculations.
The CDC did say that these infections of measles are preventable. It’s time for O’Toole to draw the line.
Erin O’Toole is a U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 6th congressional district. She serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.